Music-holder



Nirn Sterns ATENT raton.

FREDRICK A. WEISS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,977, dated October 15, 1895. Application tiled May 13, 1 895. Serial No. 549,109. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, FREDRICK A. WEISS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, State of Wiscousin, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Music-Holders; and I declare the following to be a'full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to new and useful in1 provements in music or note holders for musicians use, and relates more particularly to a device for holding the notes in proper position for use by piccolo, flute, and life players without interfering with the freedom of movement of either of the players hands.

My said invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring by letter to the drawings,A designates the usual form of lyre or clasp for holding the sheet or sheets or the book upon which the music is printed. This clasp is provided with a su pporting-shank B, adaptedV for engagement with a socket, and has a thumb-piece a, by means of which the clasp may be opened to free the sheet or the book held therein.

It has been common heretofore to secure the Shanks of the lyres or clasps within a socket or holder upon wind-instruments, such as cornets, trombones, and other forms of v horns; but heretofore, so far as I am aware,

no satisfactory device has been provided for piccolo, flute, or life players, by means of which the notes may be held in position without interfering with the freedom of movement of the players hands. My invention is designed to overcome this diiiculty and to provide a satisfactory holder for use by such players.

To this end I construct my improved holder in substantially the form shown in the drawings, in which two sections C and D are adjustably secured together so as to be extensible to a considerable extent when desired. The sections C and D are conveniently made from wire bent into substantially the form shown in the drawings, the forward ends c c of the wire forming the section C being conveniently secured to a connecting-block E, and said block being provided with two longitudinal passages e e for adjustable engagement with the Wires forming the section D. Said latter Wires are arranged parallel throughout their length and are connected at their rear ends by a loop or bend d, as shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Fig. l, the rear' end of the section C of the holder is provided with an enlarged loop C', for a purpose to be presently described.V

As shown more particularly in Fig. 2, the rear part of the section C of the holder is preferably bentsomewhat out of direct line with the section D. Upon the front ends of the wires forming the section D is secured a block F, which is conveniently arranged in a somewhat oblique position, said block being provided with a socket or passage for the shank B of the lyre or clasp A. A boss f is provided upon one side Aof the block F and has a screw-threaded passage communicating with the passage or'socket for the shank B, and with thisscrew-threaded passage is adjustably engaged a set-screw Gr, adapted to bind at its inner end with said shank B.

In using my improved device the enlarged rear end of the'section C is heldbeneath the arm, with the section D projecting forward over the players bent arm and supported thereby, the forward end of the section C conveniently resting upon the arm. In this po- Sition the holder will be firmly supported so long as the loop C is grasped beneath the players arm.

The notes may be readily secured in the lyre or clasp, and by means of the set-screw G said lyre or clasp may be adjusted and retained at a desired elevation above the section D of the holder, and the shank B maybe rotated within the socket in the block F, so as to bring the pages held in the clasp to a desired angle to the players line of vision.

ABy reason of the bending of the rear end of the section C out of line with the front portion of the holder the forward end of said holder will, when said rear portion is grasped beneath the arm, be held a little to one side of the players line of vision. In this manner when marching the player may look forward IOC past the sheet of music from which he is playing and is enabled to clearly see the ground before him, and thus avoid a misstep.

The construction of the sections of the holder from the double rods or wires affords a very rm and rigid support for the lyre or clasp and the page or pages held therein, and said holder` is not liable to spring 0r vibrate under the weight of the pages or the book held in the lyre or clasp at its front end.

When it becomes necessary for the player to turn his page of music, he may readily do so, employing both hands for this purpose and retaining the holder in position by the pressure of the arm upon the rear end of the section C.

When the device is not in use, the sections C and D may be readily pressed together,the shank of the lyre Withdrawn from the socket, and the retracted holder and said lyre orclasp carried in the pocket, in an obvious manner.

My improved device is very simple in its construction, not liable to get out of order, and is at the saine time strong and durable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A music holder comprising a suitable frame formed from a plurality of sections eX- tensibly engaged together, one of said sections being shaped at its rear end so as to enable it to be grasped and held beneath the arm and a suitable clasp adjustably engaged with the forward end of another of said sections, substantially as described.

2. A m usic holder comprisinga frame formed from aplurality ofsections extensiblyengaged with each other, the rear end of the rear section being provided with an enlargement adapted to be grasped and held beneath the arm, a suitable block secured to the forward end of the forward section and provided with a socket, and a clasp for engagement with the sheet or sheets of music to be held, and pro vided with a shank having a revoluble and also a vertically adjustable engagement with said socket, substantially as described.

3. The hereindescribed music holder comprising a frame formed from two sections extensibly engaged with each other, the rear en d of one section being provided with an enlarged loop adapted to be grasped beneath the arm of the user, and the forward end of the forward section being provided with a supporting block having a suitable socket for thereception of the shank of a music clasp, sub stantially as described.

4. A music holder comprising an extensible frame formed from the two sections C and D adjustably connected together, the former of said sections being provided at its rear end with the loop C bentlaterallyoutof line with the frame, and the section D provided at its front end with the fitting or block F having a socket or passage for the reception of the shank of a music clasp, substantially as described.

In testimony Whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDRICK A, WEISS. Vitnesses:

JOHN E. WlLns, E. W. SToU'r.' 

